


Soft

by Saxifactumterritum



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-08-20 20:47:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20234128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saxifactumterritum/pseuds/Saxifactumterritum
Summary: just fluff. Rodney visits John in the infirmary and John's dopey. I started out writing this as a sort of post-Rescue thing, but there's zero references to anything so it's just a little goop.





	Soft

**Author's Note:**

> seriously, I suck at titles, sorry

Rodney finishes typing as he walks into the infirmary, he spots Doctor Keller and heads over, locking his data-pad screen and tucking the thing under his arm. She looks tired but she smiles when she sees him headed her way. 

“Is he awake?” Rodney asks, skipping the formalities.

“Kind of,” Keller says. 

‘Kind of’ is optimistic, Rodney realises when he walks around the curtain to the corner bed John likes. He’s propped up on pillows and there are cushions strapped to him to keep him from rolling onto his stomach or too far onto his back, and for him to rest his arm on. He’s limp as a noodle, one blanket tucked around his hips as if he kept kicking it off, and one more loosely pulled up over his shoulder. His eyes open to slits when Rodney comes in and he makes a rumbling, humming kind of sound, enquiry and then pleased greeting. 

“Hey,” Rodney says, moving closer, running his fingers through John’s hair. He gets another hum for that, almost a purr. “You’re dopier than earlier.”

Rodney had stopped by around midday to say hi and drop off a bunch of the cards and flowers people keep pressing on him to pass along. They’re set up on a wheeled table, brought in just for that purpose. Where people even get the cards he has no idea, or the flowers for that matter, it’s absurd. John shifts a little, running his fingers over the soft blanket. He turns his head, making a grumbling noise until Rodney goes back to stroking his hair. 

“The things I do for you” he says, and John nods, eyes opening and closing. “You’re completely gone.”

John manages to lift his hand enough to run two fingers over Rodney’s sleeve, then it falls limply back to the bed. John’s hum turns vaguely distressed, so Rodney stops his stroking to hold John’s hand instead. His fingers are lax in Rodney’s grip but he settles again, eyes doing another slow, dopey, open-and-close. Rodney huffs, amused, and presses a kiss to John’s temple. 

“‘s’nice,” John breathes, smiling a goofy smile. 

“Yeah?” Rodney says. “You like that?”

John nods, fighting to open his eyes. It doesn’t really work, one of them comes a tiny bit open but that’s it. Rodney laughs again and kisses John’s eyelids; one, two. 

“Oh,” John says, barely a whisper.

Rodney kisses his forehead, his ear, his jaw. John manages to turn his head when Rodney goes for his cheek, and his lips brush Rodney’s. He makes an awed, happy sound so Rodney gives him a kiss, lingering a breath away after. John tilts his chin a little, closing the distance, and then just lies there like that with his lips against the corner of Rodney’s mouth. 

“Um,” Rodney says, drawing back. “You’re strange, you know that?” He watches John’s eyebrows draw gradually together, a slow-motion frown, his lips puckering in a slow-motion pout. He can’t get his eyes to open, Rodney watches him try. “Strange and, um, beautiful.”

John’s face relaxes again all at once, lips curling into a smile instead. His hand twitches and he swallows, fingers pressing lightly into Rodney’s palm. 

“Huh?” Rodney says. “What? What is it you want?”

John slurs something, trying to lift his arm. Rodney has no idea what he’s saying and absently reaches to scratch his neck, forgetting John’s hand is in his. Their joined fingers brush his cheek and John beams, mouth slightly askew, one side of the smile higher than the other. Rodney holds John’s hand against his cheek and John sighs in pleasure, happy again now, fingers twitching gently. 

“Go to sleep, John,” Rodney whispers. He kisses John’s cheek, just below his eye, John’s hand falling slack against his jaw. “That’s it. Time for a nap, hm?”

John lets out a last, long hum, and it tapers off into a snore. Rodney straightens, setting John’s hand back on the cushion. The fingers curl, flexing until Rodney sits and takes it up again, holding it. John snores again, light and persistent. John sometimes snores, it’s usually loud and obnoxious and Ronon will wake up and tip him onto his side if they’re off-world. At home Rodney usually just elbows him until he shifts position. When he’s injured or exhausted, he makes these weird rabbit-y noises, a quiet kind of snuffling. Rodney sighs, stroking John’s hair, and settles in to watch over him for a little while. 


End file.
